With all of this holiday shopping, I'm finding myself battling the tempting smells of the mall food court with every shopping visit.  You can quickly find yourself in a slippery slope of with burgers, fries, lo mein, pizza, caesar salads, fried chicken and all other unhealthy options that will quickly put you hundreds of calories over your daily goal before 3pm.  But with a couple of healthy options in your back pocket, this fast food temptation doesn't have to ruin your whole week of solid discipline. So allow me to share these quick tips to conquer the dreaded mall food court:

Search for “grilled”

When you’re surrounded with tons of options and don’t know how you’ll possibly isolate the healthy options, go with the grilled chicken sandwich without any sauces, mayo, etc added.  If you hate a dry sandwich opt for mustard, a quarters worth of ketchup or bbq sauce, or my personal favorite, a touch of a salad vinaigrette.   Remember, just because the base of a sandwich or salad sounds healthy, what gets put on top of it can completely change how much calories are in it.

Health Bonus: A bare bones basic grilled chicken sandwich tends to run you around 300 to 400-ish calories.  Keep it as healthy as possible by not adding cheese, asking for an unbuttered bun, and saying no to sauces.

Bring out your inner child

If the temptation is just too much and you’re dying to splurge on a fast food favorite, I say go for it!  Just order a kids meal and you’ll automatically give yourself portion control and keep the calories from getting out of hand.  When they ask you which toy you want, just tell them to keep it for the next order :)

Health Bonus: Your kid’s meal will contain a beverage, entrée and a side.  To make your portioned option even better, try ensuring that at least one of those main components is a healthy option.  For example, trade in your soda option for a water or instead of a side of fries opt for the side salad with a
light dressing.

Avoid it all together!

Did you eat a super healthy meal before you left to try and avoid the whole food court temptation only to find yourself being drawn to the smells anyways??  Solution: pop in a piece a mint gum.  The minty fresh taste will subside your cravings while the chewing will also keep our mouth busy.

Another minty favorite cravings curber: dark chocolate dipped Altoids.  Or make yourself a yummy snack (like this low calorie one) and enjoy as you stroll through the food court with the peace of mind  that you're saving yourself hundreds of calories.

 

What's your biggest diet breaking temptation and how do you conquer it?? Comment below and let me know!